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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
A bit too serious for me but overall extremely interesting. The history bits are the best, the painstaking details of life in the 50s & 60s not so much.
Rating:78/100
As the young Lee Harvey Oswald was speeding through the underground railways of New York, my plane-ride was speeding down the line and leaping off the ground, with its final destination being the beautiful city of Wroclaw, Poland. Both of these acts happening simultaneously, reflected the enormous speeding forces of history that I was about to witness in this novel, moving toward its endpoint. It would of course be much more poetic if the plane also landed at the same time as this novel ended, because as it happens, this novel is very much like a plane-ride: it speeds like a tsunami at the beginning, while in the air, there are moments of turbulence and confusion (is it normal for it to shake this much, did lightning just hit the wing of the plane, jesus christ can that guy behind me stop kicking my fucking seat?), and simultaneous joy and fear at the prospect of a landing, a resolution to the turbulence in between. Like a plane ride, we all know the story. We know how it begins, and we know how it ends. History dictates that we do. But there is always possibility in the plot between the take-off and the landing. I think DeLillo's novel is very much about this center of possibility; of that which has not yet been explored properly surrounding the Kennedy Assassination; the conspiracies, the coincidences, the various drives and impulses of people and institutions, the forces and mechanisms of history and of spectacle.
As the young Lee Harvey Oswald was speeding through the underground railways of New York, my plane-ride was speeding down the line and leaping off the ground, with its final destination being the beautiful city of Wroclaw, Poland. Both of these acts happening simultaneously, reflected the enormous speeding forces of history that I was about to witness in this novel, moving toward its endpoint. It would of course be much more poetic if the plane also landed at the same time as this novel ended, because as it happens, this novel is very much like a plane-ride: it speeds like a tsunami at the beginning, while in the air, there are moments of turbulence and confusion (is it normal for it to shake this much, did lightning just hit the wing of the plane, jesus christ can that guy behind me stop kicking my fucking seat?), and simultaneous joy and fear at the prospect of a landing, a resolution to the turbulence in between. Like a plane ride, we all know the story. We know how it begins, and we know how it ends. History dictates that we do. But there is always possibility in the plot between the take-off and the landing. I think DeLillo's novel is very much about this center of possibility; of that which has not yet been explored properly surrounding the Kennedy Assassination; the conspiracies, the coincidences, the various drives and impulses of people and institutions, the forces and mechanisms of history and of spectacle.
The book takes a while to get going but once it does it is pretty enjoyable. It isn't an easy page turner and I didn't expect it to be.
It makes a fairly likeable character out of Lee Harvey Oswald while constructing the conspiracy theory around JFKs death. It does a good job of sucking you into the conspiracy.
The book jumps around frequently between various characters. Different names are sometimes used for the same characters. I'm sure I missed some of the connections.
It makes a fairly likeable character out of Lee Harvey Oswald while constructing the conspiracy theory around JFKs death. It does a good job of sucking you into the conspiracy.
The book jumps around frequently between various characters. Different names are sometimes used for the same characters. I'm sure I missed some of the connections.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Conspiracy, narrative, confusion, truth, the fullness of a life in opposition to the blank facts. Very good novel. (Unfortunately White Noise still towers above any other DeLillo I’ve read.) 4.5 stars
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
incredible introduction to the jfk assassination. resonated a lot with the portrayal of lee harvey oswald.
challenging
dark
medium-paced